OSU Board approves personnel actions

Friday, March 6, 2009

(STILLWATER, Okla., March 6, 2009) -- The Oklahoma State University/A&M Board of Regents approved several personnel actions during its March 6 meeting at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.

SABBATICALS:

·     Brandon Reese, art, 100 percent sabbatical to take a residency at either the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wis., or the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Mont., with a goal to produce eight to 10 large to medium size works of art that will be exhibited in the Gebert Gallery, from Jan. 16-May 31, 2010

·     William Henley, botany, 50 percent sabbatical to conduct experiments on algal biofuels for publication, and to seek a unique research niche for the future that can attract substantial extramural funding, from Sept. 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010

·     Linda M. Austin, English, 100 percent sabbatical to work on a book-length project that explores the meanings and uses of automatism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the role it played in debates over what constituted the human in thinking, behavior and movement, from Jan. 16-May 31, 2010

·     Hugh S. Manon, English, 100 percent sabbatical to write and submit for publication a journal article titled “Rude Aesthetics in the Digital Mainstream,” and to develop and begin to circulate a proposal for a book titled “Lack and Losslessness: Toward a Lacanian Aesthetics,” from Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     Victor Dmitriev, foreign languages, 100 percent sabbatical to begin work on a book tracing the history of a school of literary criticism based in Russia and Poland that is little known in the West, and to integrate that history into a study of how Russian studies in the U.S. have evolved, from Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     Christopher Weimer, foreign languages, 100 percent sabbatical to begin a book dealing with the generally neglected poetry and prose writings of the celebrated Golden Age playwright, Tirso de Molina, from Jan. 16-May 31, 2010

·     Amit Ghosh, mathematics, 100 percent sabbatical to conduct research at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University on restriction theorems, exponential sums over finite fields, and arithmetic of Bessel functions, Jan. 16-May 31, 2010

·     Ning Ju, mathematics, 50 percent sabbatical to complete a one-year membership at the Institute of Mathematics and Application of the University of Minnesota to participate in the annual program “IMA Thematic Year on Complex Fluids and Complex Flows,” Sept. 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010

·     Weiping Li, mathematics, 100 percent sabbatical to have concentrated time for research/creativity activity, which will eventually benefit the university in terms of enhanced teaching, productive research, scholarship and reputation, Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     Lisa A. Mantini, mathematics, 100 percent sabbatical to develop expertise in conducting and directing research in undergraduate mathematics education while visiting Arizona State University’s School of Mathematics, Jan. 16-May 31, 2010

·     Robert V. Miller, microbiology and molecular genetics, 50 percent sabbatical to retool research efforts by introducing advanced elements of microbial evolutionary analysis, and to combine collaborations to develop a program to conduct two projects simultaneously during sabbatical, Sept. 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010

·     Bruce J. Ackerson, physics, 100 percent sabbatical to conduct research with a colleague at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on systems undergoing turbulent flow, and to utilize specific teaching and assessment skills to assist HKUST in changing course curriculum and assessment, Sept. 1, 2009 to May 15, 2010

·     Rebekah Herrick, political science, 100 percent sabbatical to work on a project that explores the accuracy of legislators’ perceptions of their constituents, and to examine whether four legislative features affect levels of contact, electoral security, ambition and accuracy of perceptions, Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     James W. Grice, psychology, 100 percent sabbatical to complete work on a new book and software program on “Observation Oriented Modeling,” and to continue to review the history of statistical methods and to chart a new course of data analysis based on a realist philosophy of science, Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     Thad  R. Leffingwell, psychology, 100 percent sabbatical to write manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications based upon data gathered at the beginning of the sabbatical, to edit and resubmit grant proposes, and to visit with a number of significant potential collaborators, Jan. 16-May 31, 2010

·     Thomas E. Shriver, sociology, 100 percent sabbatical to launch a major research project examining contested environmental illness in several rural communities in Oklahoma and Colorado, which will result in multiple published manuscripts, Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     Heidi Hoffer, theatre, 50 percent sabbatical to expand professional design work into additional regions nationally, to raise design credits to a higher level of theatre venue, and to continue professional development activities and professional networking capabilities, Sept. 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010

·     Karen McBee, zoology, 100 percent sabbatical to spend one semester at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and Vietnam National University teaching and helping develop graduate level and upper undergraduate level courses in ecotoxicology and genetic toxicology, Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

·     Gary G. Yen, electrical and computer engineering, 100 percent sabbatical to conduct research in the area of computational intelligence and intelligent control, to write a textbook in the area of evolutionary multiobjective optimization, and to establish connections and recruit students in Asian countries, July 1-Dec. 31

·     Daniel E. Fisher, mechanical and aerospace engineering, 100 percent sabbatical to develop the expertise in fundamental frost growth mechanisms and in microchannel manufacturing techniques required to successfully design and deploy microchannel coils for air-to-air heat pump applications, Sept. 1, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010

RETIREMENTS: Marvin S. Keener, mathematics, June 1; Kent W. Olson, economics and legal studies, June 2.

For the OSU Center for Health Sciences, appointments were approved for Susan K. Steele, clinical assistant professor, family medicine; and for Anil K. Kaul, research associate professor, ob/gyn. Title changes were approved Lora D. Cotton, from assistant professor and associate program director, to assistant professor, associate program director and vice chair, family medicine; and for Brian Diener, surgery, from assistant professor and vice chair, to assistant professor.